The Sounds of Silence
by reka1207
Summary: Post-Endgame. Arcee asks Shockwave the question that's been bothering her since she had reactivated: Why could he do it, when they couldn't? "They could..." Shockwave said. "If they wanted to."


**Disclaimer: **I do not own Transformers.

_Omega Supreme, en route to Cybertron_

Arcee had managed to get away from the Autobots (including Ratchet) for a cycle. She had never imagined she would end up _here. _

Omega's mentorbot or not, she had no way of navigating the immense ship.

She had ended up in the brig. No access code was required, Omega knew who she was. Arcee would bet he would even open the door if she asked him to.

Painfully trusting was what she would use to describe Omega. She didn't want to know what might happen if she were to get captured by the Decepticons.

Absently, she wandered through the empty cells of the ship. She knew that the Decepticons captured on Earth were here somewhere: Megatron, Shockwave, and Lugnut. The top three Decepticons. Starscream was dead; they had his body too.

She was glad they had been captured; any Autobot would be.

The proper word for her feelings would be confused.

She had woken up in a different time; hundreds of stellar cycles after she had begun to sleep. The only thing she recalled were voices above her, talking about Omega. A hand on her own, murmuring reassuring words to her.

She hadn't realized she was standing in front of an occupied cell until Omega's voice resounded through the loudspeakers.

"_Do you wish to speak with this Decepticon?"_

She flinched in surprise and looked into the missile-proof plexiglass at the one-eyed Decepticon. He was in recharge, as much as she could tell from his dimmed-out optic.

"No, Omega," she said quietly. "Let him be."

Perhaps it was a spy's paranoia, but he awoke, sensing someone staring at him. Shockwave straightened, antenna perking up in something that resembled interest.

She remembered him. They had been friends before the War. What kind of friends she couldn't remember, but she remembered something about a farewell. Then she had lost her memory, been kidnapped, and from what Ratchet had told her, been poked and prodded by him (Shockwave) until she gave up the access codes.

There was a question in her mind that wouldn't go down quietly. She had asked Ratchet, and then that young Prime. Ratchet had said they had thought the memories had been irretrievable, that there was nothing they could do. Optimus had gotten a faraway look in his optics and mumbled something about leaving no one behind. She had noticed he was looking in the direction they had come; back at Earth.

Perhaps this Decepticon that had once been a friend would answer.

"Omega," she said quietly, "I'd like to talk to him."

"_Press the black button on the door. It will open a communications channel." _

She did so. A short burst of static erupted and then she heard clear radio silence.

"Shockwave," Arcee said firmly. He looked down at her. Even while he was sitting, Shockwave was a good deal taller than her.

"Yes?" his voice was exactly like she remembered it.

"Why were you able to access my memory when the Autobots couldn't?" There. It was out, allowing Shockwave to run rampant with her processor's thoughts.

He let out a small sigh. "The Autobots could. Perhaps not your friend, Ratchet, but Perceptor and Wheeljack certainly could, if they wanted to."

She now knew the answer.

"You knew the codes, Arcee. They didn't, and had no need for Omega at the time." His optic met hers. "All they needed was a way for us _not _to get to them. You had no memory. With the technology at the time, your memories _were _irretrievable. The Council was planning to keep you there forever. If we had been completely eradicated, you might have ended up in a laboratory for experimentation. If there was a need for Omega, Wheeljack and Perceptor would have come up with a miracle cure."

"Ratchet," she mumbled. "He never knew…"

"Of course he didn't. Would he have taught Omega if he knew you were being held in stasis?"

"I guess not…" a thought that he just might be lying popped into her head. She tapped the floor with her foot. "Are you being truthful?"

Shockwave sighed. "Arcee, I am headed to Cybertron now. Once there, I will be thrown into the brig. After a few stellar cycles, when the horror of the space bridge attacks have died down, I will be forced into a mockery of a trial with an advocate who could care less if I lived or died. When I am found guilty, which I know I am, I will be executed. What reason would I have to lie?"

It disturbed her to hear her former friend speak of his death so dispassionately.

"You could be trying to make me doubt the Council."

"I could," he agreed. "But when we get back to Cybertron, you can go to to the repair bay and ask the medics why Rodimus hasn't been repaired yet. They'll tell you there is no antidote, but in Perceptor's private locker there is a quick and instant cure. Wheeljack and Perceptor are trying to create a more dangerous chemical than Oil Slick can ever manufacture. If you're still wondering about you, visit my apartment. I was the Head of Intelligence, Arcee." From her past experience with him, he was probably grinning. "They told me things you would never want to hear."

She could understand that.

"So you're telling me the truth. I can look it up. I can ask. Why did you tell me?"

He surveyed her with his one optic.

"Arcee, why did you ask _me_?"


End file.
